Vibrant colour in the garden is often, and most easily provided by bulbs. Hyacinths at Christmas, Crocus in the New Year, Daffodils in Spring and Tulips in early Summer.
Many of these bulbs are planted in Autumn and are dormant through winter. These bulbs need cold temperatures in order to produce a flower bud for spring which is part of the reason they are planted at this time of the year.
So now’s the time to start planning your bulb planting scheme ready for next year.
What bulbs will you be planting this Autumn?
Hyacinths
Hyacinths are a great Christmas treat and perfect for containers. In a variety of colours from icy white, through blues to purply pink, they also provide a heavenly scent.
Crocus
Crocus will thrive in most garden soil and can be planted in almost any part of the garden where the sun can get to them. If left undisturbed they will increase readily from self-sown seed as well as the natural increase from the bulbs themselves.
Tulips
There are hundreds of beautiful tulips to choose from, in enough colours, shapes, sizes and bloom times to inspire every gardener’s creativity. Whether you plant them in groups of 10 or 1000, tulips always put on an impressive show. Look out for early and later Summer flowering so you get a longer show of colour.
Allium
These ornamental garlics will thrive anywhere and come back year after year. Their richly coloured blooms, in a wide diversity of shapes and sizes, are lovely in borders, pots and containers and fit well in either a contemporary or traditional garden design.
Iris
Irises can be rhizomes, bulbs or roots. Rhizomes produce larger flowers and include the popular bearded Iris. Bulb irises produce smaller flowers and are often used in rock gardens or at the front of beds to provide colour early in the year. With so many different types and colours available, there is an iris for nearly every garden.
Named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, irises bring colour to the garden in Spring and Summer.
Daffodils and Narcissi
Daffodils and Narcissi are a great investment in any garden as they quickly naturalise and grow in number. They are best planted where they will be undisturbed. If allowed to establish, they will give Spring-time pleasure year on year.
Fritillaria
Fritillaria are much-loved for their bell-shaped flowers in Spring. They range from the diminuitive and delicate Fritillaria meleagris to the tall, bold Fritiallaria imperialis. There is nothing more exciting than the sight of their bold and bright colours peaking up from the ground marking the end of a long winter and the start of the warmer weather.
Inspired to plant some bulbs this Autumn?
As always, if you would like to take the guess work out of adding bulbs to your garden’s planting scheme, get in touch. Our team will be happy to help.
